Wheatless Foodie

Summer’s officially over, but the zucchini keep coming. If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know how they can get out of hand. Some of my family members are definitely giving them the “fish eye”. This recipe is a favorite even with my beloved zucchini haters. CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD Dry Ingredients 1/2 cup white rice flour 1/3 cup tapioca flour 1/3 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon Wet Ingredients 1 egg 1/4 cup canola oil 1/3 cup milk 1 cup shredded zucchini 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine dry ingredients in medium-sized bowl. In separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients, and stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9”x 9” baking dish. Bake until done in center and slightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. Printable Recipe

I never met a summer squash I didn’t like, or a tomato either for that matter. The summer garden that my family helped me plant this year is overflowing with squash and tomatoes. Beans too, but that’s a story for another day. I got the idea from Mike Eberhart’s gluten free blog to make “bases” that can then be used in other recipes. The idea is to start with a set of ingredients, cook them, then use the resulting “base” as an ingredient, or a sort of sauce, in other dishes. Using what I had, which were onions from the grower’s market and lots of tomatoes and summer squashes from my garden, I made this “base”: Tomato Zucchini Base Sauce 2 onions, chopped and sautéed in a little olive oil. 8 cups diced, peeled and seeded tomatoes 8 cups diced summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan) Salt and Pepper to taste Combine and simmer until all veggies are cooked. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days, or store in freezer. Here’s how I’ve used it so far: Eaten as-is – sort o...

We recently ate at a seafood restaurant that has really good garlic cheese biscuits, and my daughter told me that she likes my cheese biscuits better! I hadn’t made them for a long time, so after receiving her compliment (smart girl, my daughter), I felt compelled to make a batch. I’ll admit, they’re not really as good as biscuits made with wheat, but there’re not bad. They certainly disappeared fast. Gluten Free Cheddar Biscuits ¾ cup white rice flour ½ cup tapioca flour ½ cup cornstarch 2 tsp. xanthan gum 1 Tbls. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ¾ tsp. salt ¼ cup shortening ¾ cup milk 1 egg white 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Combine milk and slightly beaten egg white. Mix into dry ingredients and cheese. Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes. Makes one dozen biscuits. Printable Recipe

I’ve been working on some gluten free recipes, but they’re not quite right yet. I’ll share them when I’m satisfied that they are really good. Anyway, it’s been too hot to do much cooking lately, so I’ve been relying on my old standbys. These are products that I can purchase to hold me over between baking sessions. The product I rely on most often is the Van’s Wheat Free Gluten Free Toaster Waffles from the freezer section at the store. Of all the pre-prepared gf products on the market, I feel that these waffles are the closest to their regular made-with-wheat counterparts. They are delicious. I like to slightly over toast them, which I think produces the best finished texture: crispy on the outside; soft and fluffy on the inside. I eat them in place of toast, either plain or with butter. They are also good topped with peanut butter and sliced banana, or topped with cream cheese and strawberry preserves. Toast two and you can make a great fried egg sandwich. I’ve even used them in place...